Lilac Wine (Part 6)
Jennifer
Part Six: Buffy
It's nightfall when I make it back to Giles' place. The gang is there, including Anya. And it comforts me as it always does to know that they're with me.
"Have we got anything?" I ask hopefully.
Willow approaches me slowly. "Only this." She hands me a piece of parchment paper.
"What's this?" I ask before looking at it.
"A couple vamps stopped me tonight," Xander stood up.
I forget the paper for a moment and go to him, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? I swear, I'm
going to be getting some serious use out of my-"
"I'm fine." Xander cut me off. "Apparently, I'm not such a nummy treat," Xander shoots a glance
at a grinning Spike. "They gave that to me and told me to give it to you."
I look at the parchment one more time. This time to read it. In very neat, very eccentric handwriting, it says three words. "I want Spike?" I look from Willow, to Xander, and then to Spike, who is standing behind the island of Giles' kitchen. He shrugs carelessly. "Spike? Who would want Spike?"
"Hey Slayer! I happen to be in high demand. Especially by those army brats that are roaming around here."
Army brats. Riley was one of those brats. "Did you look at this, Spike?"
"No. It's probably those nimrods who bloody slated me!"
I shake my head and then go to him. "Look at it. It's written in blood. Army brats aren't going to send us a message written in blood."
"Blood?" Spike's brow raises slightly as he takes the parchment from my hand. "Did anyone just not notice this or did they think it wasn't an important fact?"
I watch him carefully as he inspects the letter. A smile crosses his face almost immediately and he bursts out laughing.
"What is so funny?" I ask.
"She's got your boy." He smiles knowingly. "It's his blood."
"Who? Who's got him? How do you know that? By three words?" I ask.
"Wild guess."
"Who dammit?"
"I can't in good conscience tell you that."
I feel anger burn my cheeks. Without a thought or warning, I throw myself over the island and into Spike. I throttle him powerfully, smacking him over and over demanding that he tell me who has Riley.
"Bloody... hell... Slayer... stop it!" He yells.
I feel no remorse in hitting him this way, even though I know he can't hit me back. "Tell me! Damn you tell me! This isn't some dimwit kid we're talking about! This is Riley! This is Riley!" I didn't know it until after Xander had pulled me off of him that tears had begun streaming down my face. I pull myself away from Xander and try to compose myself. Willow is at my side and she's got her arm around me to comfort me.
"Spike," Willow says softly. "Please, help us."
Spike picks himself up off the floor and rubs blood from his lip. He sighs heavily before speaking. "If I help you, I want something from you."
"That's it," I exclaim and pull a stake from my sleave and rush him one more time.
"Buffy!" Giles yells. "Buffy stop it!" I turn toward my watcher and glare at him. But he ignores my death look and continues. "You're letting your emotions get the better of you. Now stop this now. If Spike knows who it is then we have no choice right now but to do as he asks."
I glance at Spike, who is smiling at me now. "What do you want?"
"Two things actually."
I close my eyes holding my temper down to a simmer. "What?" I ask through gritted teeth.
"One you keep the powder puff boys out it."
"The commandos?"
"Yes."
"And two?"
"You let me handle her."
"Her?" It hits me then. Who it has to be. Since I've known Spike, he had protected one being and that was Drusilla. "Is there a reason she tortures all of my boyfriends?" I ask him.
"I guess she just doesn't like you." He's grinning at me again. And it's now that I know I have no choice but to do what he wants.
"Okay. So what do we do?"
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